Detergents are ___________ salts of long chain alkyl or aryl sulphonates or sulphates.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Sodium or Potassium
Synthetic detergents are sodium or potassium salts of long-chain alkyl or aryl sulphonates or sulphates, for example sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate and sodium lauryl sulphate. Soaps, by contrast, are sodium or potassium salts of long-chain fatty acids.
Unlike soaps, detergents also work in hard water: their calcium and magnesium salts are soluble, so they do not form scum.